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By Austin Mattes

Coaches Week

‘Thanks coach’: Week-long event celebrates impact coaches have on athletes and communities

Sep 18, 2024 | 12:29 PM

Several times a week, Shelly Fransoo spends her spare time coaching senior boys volleyball at John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford. She was inspired to do so by the coaches she had growing up. Their impact is also what influenced her career in teaching.

“When I was a young adult or youth, I was fortunate to have a number of good coaches in my life and was able to benefit from that from an athletic standpoint. So, a large part of the reason I actually went into teaching…. truly the decision came down to the fact that with education, there was a greater chance that I could work coaching into my daily life.”

Fransoo is one of 20,000 coaches who take time out of their day to work with local athletes, sports teams and organizations in Saskatchewan. The government proclaimed Sept.16-22 as “Coaches Week” – an opportunity to show appreciation for those who make youth not just better athletes, but also better citizens.

“It’s nice to know that coaches are being seen…many coaches do it on a volunteer basis. Many coaches do it with money out of their pocket. So, it’s certainly nice to be recognized. But where I will feel most appreciated isn’t with the accolades, it’s the smiles of the athletes that I work with or the person who I coach alongside with,” Fransoo said.

Owen Lamb is the hockey coach at North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBCHS). He said it was the coaches he had while playing minor hockey that inspired him to do the same as an adult.

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“I had an unbelievable time growing up playing hockey here, so it’s great to be coaching now and giving back to the community that supported me through all these years. I’m grateful to be able to coach and make sure players are holding themselves up to a high standard, conducting themselves in a professional manner because the skills you develop as a hockey player not only translate on the ice, but they translate to the workplace too. Whether that’s teamwork, communication, all those things, you really want to work on the individuals themselves as well,” Lamb said.

According to a Government of Saskatchewan news release about ‘Coaches Week’, volunteers on average dedicate more than 120 hours to sport and programs they’re involved in.

“Coaches play such an influential role in the development of our athletes both on and off the field. Your motivation and encouragement help bring out the best in these individuals, and for that we say thank you,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross said in a media release.

The Coaches Association of Canada coined the phrase “Thanks Coach” as a way to show appreciation this week. The public is encouraged to show support by using the hashtags #ThanksCoach or #CoachesWeek across social media platforms, or simply by saying “Thanks Coach.”

“I think it’s great anytime you can get a little bit of recognition, it feels good. I think we’re doing some good things that benefit not only our athletes but the community as well. So just some recognition from the government is always appreciated too,” Lamb said.

Across Canada, more than 1.8 million Canadians have received coach training and one in seven Canadians will coach at some point in their lives.

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austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter/X: @AustinMattes